To save a Planet
by Bloodlover
Summary: Aeris reflects on her own feelings when she goes to face her destiny...
1. Default Chapter

To save a Planet

By: Bloodlover

_Authour´s notes: This was a story of what I think that Aeris thought when she was on the altar, before her tragic murder by Sephiroth. _

Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Square.

Aeris went calmly through the Forgotten City. She noticed the city´s strange beauty. But her thoughts was mainly focused on her task. Now she had came to a seashelled formed house. Outside it was a little lake and surrounding it all were a lot of trees. Aeris shook her head, angry with herself. She had the most important task in the whole world, to save the Planet, and she let her thoughts wander like this! 

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I´m sorry. It won´t happen again. I have to focus.

She went into the house and up until she came to a place where there was a big goldfish. She pointed her only weapon – the Princess Guard which she had found in the Temple of the Ancients - against it and called upon th Planet´s power to open the way. The goldfish disappeared. Where it had been was now a staircase of purest crystal. Aeris went down it with determination in her heart. 

When the blue-green light from Princess Guard had faded there were no sign of the beautiful staircase, only the goldfish….

In her whole life Aeris had felt alone. She had felt different from the others in a way, which was true. She heard voices and then got to know that her mother, Ifalna who died from sickness, had been an "Ancient". Or Cetra as they called themselves so long time ago. Bugenhagen and the other wise ones in Cosmo Canyon had taught her so much….

She was stronger now and knew her powers, knew what she had to do…

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What I have to do. For this Planet. For Cloud…

She closed her eyes for a while to think of her love, despite her promise earlier. 

Love. Yes she really loved him. Not just because she had loved Zack.

Are you sure that it was really love Aeris? 

No that was just a crush. Her feelings for Cloud went deeper than that. Just the thought of him calmed her thoughts. They had began to slip on to his nemesis, Sephiroth. He was here too. And she knew that he would stop her. 

Or rather TRY to stop me! He doesn´t know it but he will play right into my hands. 

The price for Holy to reach it´s biggest strengh was that another person´s life force had to be given it. She was half Cetra so she guessed it would help Holy more.

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In any case I would never let an innocent give his or her life. Especially not one of my friends!

What would happen after that Aeris was not so sure. "When Holy awakens Shall the Sacrificed again become free." All that she had heard from her mother´s voice, but the last part could mean alot of things. Aeris thought, and hoped, that "the Sacrificed again become free" meant her resurrection. But it could also mean mean that she would return to the Planet, just like Bugenhagen had said at Cosmo Canyon. 

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NO! I can´t think like that! It must be the first alternative, I hope it means that. In any case I won´t just stay still when the Planet, my Planet, is threathened by Sephiroth and his Meteor!

She strainted her back as to give strength to her thoughts. Now she had reached the staircase´s end. And over there stood the Water Altar…

Where my sacrifice will be. Then I will return. To everyone. To Cloud.

Suddenly she felt a presence. From Sephiroth whom she knew where already there. And farther away Cloud!

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Did he follow me?! Despite the dream I sent him? I told him that I would tkae care of Sephiroth and Meteor! 

Aeris quickly jumped up to the altar. She threw her Princess Guard in the water. The cermony demanded that she "would throw her Material Weapon and then follow". She then felt in her purse after Holy. She held up Holy and started praying.

How long she sat there and prayed to Holy to come out and save them she didn´t know. Aeris Gainsborough had more important matters to think of. But an unknowing part of Aeris couldn´t just focus on the task. It thought of Cloud, leading him to come to the seashell house. 

The crystal staircase was now visible. Sephiroth had went down moments earlier. 

Aeris had now stopped praying. Now she bared her soul to Holy because now it had finally arrived. 

"Aeris!"

She knew that voice. Cloud had come! He had their friends with him. Aeris was tired because of the cermony, but now she had done her part. Everything was done. Well almost everything… Only one thing was still to be done.

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Sephiroth is near. Close…

The thought floated into her mind. Aeris still had a strong grip of Holy. 

Cloud had during the time reached the Altar. He was alone, he had told the others to wait. Suddenly he started to shake his head. Aeris felt a strange force round herself. 

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Sephiroth has him. Will he use Cloud as a tool? For Cloud´s sake I hope not!

He pulled out his sword and started to walk to where she sat. He lifted his sword and started to strike at her. But just moments before the fatal blow would have split her in half she heard their friends shouting at Cloud, stopping him. He backed a couple of steps back, confused.

"What did you do?" he asked. Confusion and anger played openly on his face. She slowly raised her face. 

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It´s time Aeris. Are you ready?

Aeris smiled encouragely at Cloud. Over them hovered Sephiroth. And she now knew that everything where it was supposed to be.

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Yes. Forgive me Cloud. We´ll meet again where all of this is over…

She felt wind blowing at her and in the next instant a sharp pain in her midsection where Sephiroth had stabbed her. She dropped Holy and it rolled down into the water below. 

The pain made her delirous and she could not think clearly. One thought she managed to send out, it would be the last thought before the darkness claimed her. 

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Cloud. Don´t let this break you! I love you…


	2. Chapter 2

To save a Planet

By: Bloodlover

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Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Squaresoft.

A/N: Sorry it took me quite awhile to get this part out. Since a second part was requested, you got it! *smile* Enjoy! And thank you very much for the feedback! It meant a lot.

Part 2

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Is this… Holy?

Aeris looked around her. She could see the Lifestream all around her. It comforted her and made her feel peaceful despite the situation. Before she had prayed to Holy, she had been so scared. She wasn´t too sure what would happen to her, would she revive after Cloud and AVALANCHE defeated Sephiroth and Jenova? Or would she return to the Lifestream and never see Cloud or her friends again? But right now she felt so peaceful. 

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So beautiful…

The Lifestream was the most beautiful thing in the world. It had a colour of green, green like grass, but more alive. Streams of silver encircled it and also her. It was like floating around in water with eyes, nose and mouth open, without having to worry about drowning or getting water in the lungs. It carassed you like water but embraced you like air would…

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Or like a lover. Cloud…

Suddenly she was reminded by her love. She wanted to see him and the next moment she saw him, crying as he slowly laid her body in the water outside. She saw the others too. Barret, his usually hard face soft with tears, polite but sarcastic Red XIII with his head bowed down in respect, Cait Sith, also with his head down, Cid, without his usual rudeness, Vincent, having dropped his cold mask and letting a tear fall down his cheek, Yuffie openly crying. And Tifa comforting the young ninja even though she looked as she wanted someone to hold her too. Aeris felt sadness for all of them but most for Cloud and Tifa. Cloud, because she loved him so much and Tifa, because of the friendship they shared. The two women had stood by each other´s side in all times and were as close as sisters. Tifa was the first best friend she´d ever had. The ONLY best friend she´d ever had.

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And now, I may never meet them again…

Aeris felt a big wave of sadness and just wanted to rest for awhile. The Lifestream embraced her again, making her sadness go away. Her senses faded away, just like when she was sleeping when she´d been alive. 

After awhile, she opened her eyes again. Something felt wrong. Someone was in danger. _Cloud!_ Suddenly she was there with him. He was alive but couldn´t handle the Lifestream. He was IN the Lifestream! 

How did he get here?! He isn´t dead… But how…?

As soon as she thought that, the Lifestream conjured up an imagine. She saw Cloud, giving the Black Materia to Sephiroth. But she knew he was possessed, just like in the Temple of the Ancients, when he had attacked her. Cloud´s hand reached into the cocoon that Sephiroth was in. This was not good, the Black Materia was Sephiroths now. The threat of Meteor came closer. Aeris shuddered but continued to look at the scene. Now, the whole Crater was collapsing. Aeris held her breath, fearing for her friends´s lives. She sighed with relief when Tifa and the others got out, but it soon became a gasp of fear when she saw that Cloud still was still there. He would never get out if he didn´t hurry… And how would Tifa and the others fare now that they were in the clutches of Shinra…? 

Aeris saw Sephiroth´s cocoon and Cloud fall into the Lifestream. She also got the feeling that something had been released on the Planet… _Violence…_

The vision ended and Aeris turned to Cloud. He was in a bad shape, mumbling incohorent things. Aeris had red a lot when they visited Cosmo Canyon and knew it was a bad case of Mako poisoning. Cloud would be a goner if she didn´t do something. _But what?!_ Maybe if she could somehow…calm him? But even if she succeeded in that he would soon be as bad off again. He had to get out. But how? She couldn´t lift him up and toss him out of the Lifestream. Right now they were under the ground, she knew that much. But there was places where the Lifestream gushed up. She could guide him so he got out that way. 

Aeris reached out with her senses and began to gently move Cloud in one of the directions. While she was doing that she reached out to Cloud, filling him with feelings of peace, calm, goodness and light. It wasn´t easy but Cloud would survive, hopefully someone would be able to give him help when he was out. She would probably get better at controlling the Lifestream later. _Or maybe not CONTROLING. A better word would be ASKING it to help me. No one can control the Lifestream, it´s a force in itself. _

Cloud finally disappeared from her. Aeris took one last chance to send more comforting thoughts into his mind. When he was out of the Lifestream, she would no longer be able to help him. Now he had to get help from another way. Aeris felt a big pang of frustration and fear. But she must believe that Cloud would make it. 

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Please, please let him make it. Don´t let him die…Aeris felt herself slip into "sleep" again. Or something similar to sleep, sleep for the dead… Once again she let herself being embraced by the Lifestream…

But her rest was interrupted rather aburbtly. _What happened?! Something bad I can feel it. But what?_

Her question was answered almost immideliaty. Lifestream was gushing up somewhere and Cloud and Tifa was in it.

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WHAT?! They can´t be here if they aren´t …dead…. Aeris felt herself moving to the place, a feeling of dread for her friends moving with her. When she found the place she knew they were, in fact, still alive even though Cloud was still in a coma. But if he and Tifa stayed too long they would probably die.

And there was no way Aeris would allow them to. She tried to get them out of the Lifestream, but discovered that she couldn´t! Cloud and Tifa stayed at the same place no matter how much she tried to help.

Her worries ended however. Tifa finally managed to get Cloud back to his senses and together they floated up to the surface. Aeris felt happiness at the sight of them, but also a pang of jealousy. _I wish I could have been with Cloud. Will he wait for me?_ She became angered at herself. There was nothing that said that she would come back to life, at least nothing definatly. Only a maybe. Why should Cloud spend the rest of his life grieving over a dead love when he could move on and find happiness? That is if they survived but Aeris was sure that her plan would work. Holy would save the Planet but it would spare the humans. After all, even though humanity had it´s faults it still had a lot of good in it. At least it was better with one chance than no chance. _If we don´t use Holy we´ll die for sure._

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Once again she let herself become one with the Lifestream. She let her flow with it. She could feel her prayer to Holy and Holy itself. But there was a shadow that hindered it. _Sephiroth. And Jenova._ Despite the calming Lifestream, Aeris felt frustration she didn´t know how much time there was left. 

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Calm… Be patient…. Holy…..

Suddenly everything rushed forward. Somehow she knew it was Holy. The shadow that had been in it´s way was no longer there. Aeris felt hope and happiness. They were going to be saved! The battle between Holy and Meteor began. The hope that Aeris had felt was turned into despair. Meteor had become so strong, so powerful, so terrible. 

Holy had failed.

Or maybe it came to late? Aeris didn´t know. The only thing she knew was that her beloved Planet was going to die. Her friends, her mother… and Cloud her love. 

Would she allow that?

Never.

Aeris began to focus her will into the Lifestream. Tried to make it understand what was happening. Pleaded it for help. Slowly little tendrils of Lifestream began to seep up from the Planet. Where Holy had failed the Lifestream was succeeding. 

Aeris smiled. The Planet was saved.

And so was Cloud.

The next thing she knew was going up. Into light….

THE END

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Hope you liked it. I tried to make the Lifestream a mysterious but calm place to be. When I played the game this was my impression of it. Cloud´s visit to it nearly made him insane but he was plunged into it and had just beimg manipulated by Sephiroth (or rather Jenova). When it comes to Aeris I wanted to show what I thought she went through after being killed, such as some events as Cloud falling into the Lifestream. 

I also made Aeris the one to get Cloud out of it. I know that it´s Tifa who helps Cloud get himself together but there was something one villager in Mideel who got me thinking. He says that Cloud must have had "one powerful guardian angel watching over him". And after all Aeris is Cloud´s angel… maybe she had some part in letting him wash up in Mideel. This is just a theory of mine, but I like the idea of Aeris saving Cloud from the Lifestream and Tifa saving Cloud´s sanity. 

When it comes to the ending I do think that Aeris is reborn after FF7. I plan to do a longer story, but first I have to finish the one I´m currently writing. And as always, feel free to comment on it. Until next time.. *smile*


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